Purgatory and Extre Cold?
Lin Hui's heart skipped a beat. Although he had relied on the Wind Disaster Force to dispel the lingering aftereffects of those two powers, the mory of Purgatory's corruption remained fresh in his mind.
"Is there any news regarding Liu Wujun from the Rain Palace?"
"None for now," Li Yuanyuan replied. "There hasn't been any word from the Rain Palace about a High Divine Officer-level expert falling into trouble. I've already asked a few people to look into it."
"Very well," Lin Hui said with a nod.
"Thirdly, so locals wish to join the Clear Wind Dao to obtain a Law Seal and break through their cultivation bottlenecks. They are quite earnest about it. They originally tried to go through Junior Sister Qiu Yiren, but since she felt it was inappropriate to raise it with you, they approached
instead."
"What's their background?"
"The Ninth Young Miss of the Fang family—the Fangs run a wine business in the Inner City. She was sent to the Rain Palace as a child and has been stuck at the Circulation Realm for three years, unable to advance."
"Find a ti to bring her over so I can evaluate her. Explain the conditions clearly. It's been a year; it's about ti we tried developing so local disciples."
In truth, Lin Hui had little need to expand the Clear Wind Dao. The current number of disciples provided more than enough intelligence and materials to support him.
As long as his arrangents proceeded smoothly and his support network was firmly established, he didn't plan to cause any more trouble. He simply wanted to live quietly, keep a low profile, and focus on his cultivation.
He had never been an ambitious person. Most of the ti, external pressure was what forced him forward.
After dismissing Li Yuanyuan, Lin Hui walked alone through the rear garden of Clear Wind Courtyard.
This sprawling estate, capable of housing hundreds, was now occupied only by him, Li Yuanyuan, and a handful of servants. The entire place felt increasingly desolate.
He passed a bed of golden flowers, and their delicate fragrance lifted his mood a little.
He often pondered the aning of life. If cultivation existed solely to protect his peaceful existence, then what was a peaceful existence actually for? Reproduction? Family? Indulging his desires? Exploring the unknown?
He didn't know.
He only knew that having the freedom to do as he pleased each day—free from the coercion of outside forces, the worry of securing food and drink, and the constant dread for his own life—was deeply satisfying in itself.
Just like right now: he wanted to take a walk and admire the flowers in the garden, and he had the ti to do so.
This was satisfaction.
Next, it was ti to evolve his new martial arts.
The last ti the Star Breath Sword Canon evolved, it had taken several years. If precious dicines hadn't accelerated the process partway through, it likely would have taken over a decade.
Judging from the completion of his Body Tempering through the Typhoon Sword Technique, his constitution and mind-spirit had strengthened by at least two or three tis. Coupled with the Micro-Flash special effect—whose full scope remained unclear—and the complete Typhoon Sword Technique he had never truly tested in actual combat, Lin Hui wasn't certain how much strength he could bring to bear at full power.
People like Han Sanmian were just slightly harder-to-kill targets for him. Without other opponents for reference, he remained unsure of his true limits.
Given this, the Star Breath Sword Canon's evolution would almost certainly be more demanding than before. If he delayed, he might finish mastering the sword canon only to find the evolution still far from complete—an awkward position to be in.
Stopping in his tracks, Lin Hui closed his eyes. The corresponding information from the Blood Seal surfaced in his vision.
[Star Breath Sword Canon: Entry level. Divided into Origin One, Luminous Two, Stable Three, and Return Four—four layers in total. Requires the condensation of four great Wind Force Sacred Forms, which ultimately rge into one to achieve the special effect: Breath of the Multitude Stars.]
[Four Great Forms: Divided into Life, Destruction, Heaven, and Earth. The condensation of each form requires specific resources.]
[Life Form: After entry, you must save ninety-nine different types of living beings. Once completed, you can sense the pulse of life and condense the Life Sacred Form.]
[Destruction Form: After entry, you must destroy ninety-nine different types of living beings to condense the Destruction Sacred Form.]
[Heaven Form: After entry, you must assu the perspective of Heaven's Will incarnate and stably govern the atmosphere over a planetary region exceeding one million square ters.]
[Earth Form: After entry, you must assu the perspective of the earth's natural incarnation and stably manage a planetary geographic environnt exceeding one million square ters.]
So troubleso? Lin Hui had assud it would be the sa as before—go into seclusion and cultivate until complete. But looking at it now, the interdiate process demanded that he walk four distinct paths to condense the four Sacred Forms.
This sword technique could no longer be mastered through bitter, closed-door cultivation alone.
It seems I'll have to carefully reconsider how to approach my cultivation going forward...
With a slight shift in his thoughts, Lin Hui confird the evolution project centered on the Star Breath Sword Canon. The Blood Seal on the back of his hand gathered and dispersed. Soon, new information surfaced.
…
anwhile, in Tuyue—within the Moon Tower.
"Have you found any traces of the missing Elder?"
The voice echoed through the Moon Tower housing the Taisu Primal Disk. In the spacious circular hall at its summit, a giant moon-white disk rotated slowly. Silver cracks resembling tree roots spread across the floor and extended outward to nine evenly spaced points around the disk.
At each of these nine connection points sat a wide, high-backed erald chair. Eight black-robed figures occupied the seats. One remained perpetually empty.
"It's more or less confird. When the Hongyin army arrived, the Eighth went into the Mist Zone to act alone. He wasn't confronting the general of the Tianyan Army—he had other motives," one person said in a low voice.
"Indeed. We've only just uncovered this lead, and it cos rather late, but as long as we can clear up the misunderstanding with the Tianyan Army, it will have been worth it," said another.
It absolutely was not because they had failed to defeat the enemy and needed an excuse to smooth things over. This quiet rationalization was the unspoken consensus among everyone present.
The war had dragged on for a year. After fighting so long, neither the Taisu Federation nor the Hongyin Empire had any desire to continue. Hongyin had lost three Generals, and Tuyue had been forced to replace three Elders. Both sides had bled heavily.
The Generals of the Tianyan Army, however, could resurrect using retained flesh and blood. Compared to them, Tuyue bore a significant disadvantage.
"Hongyin has issued a similar announcent—they're already pulling back," soone murmured. "Mother is about to return, so there's no point in them staying any longer. Their original objective was always out of reach. By that asure, we actually ca out ahead."
"True... Now that the situation has stabilized and the war is winding down, who among you is willing to investigate Han Sanmian's disappearance?" asked an aged male voice—the apparent leader of the eight.
"If the culprit could kill Han Sanmian, sending just one of us may not be enough to apprehend them. Even if Old Eight was an administrative official and not especially combat-oriented, he was ultimately a Blood Ancestor of our sa level," another pointed out.
"Then I will ask again: who is willing to go? From the residual traces, we have two suspected targets. One is Elder Chen of the Extre Desire Heaven, who briefly went missing around that ti. The other is the mysterious person who fled to Black Cloud, suspected of impersonating Lin Hui."
"During the battle, Elder Chen's whereabouts were unaccounted for roughly two hours—which corresponds precisely with the window in which Han Sanmian raised his shield. As for the latter suspect, while being pursued, he suddenly erupted with strength surpassing the Palace Master tier. Whether he could truly have defeated Han Sanmian remains doubtful, but the reason he stays a suspect is that Han Sanmian had been monitoring him closely beforehand. So even if this 'Lin Hui' is not the murderer, he is likely deeply entangled with whoever is," the aged voice analyzed.
"Your Excellency speaks the truth."
"The deduction is sound."
The others nodded in agreent.
"Hou Xihan, you once gifted Lin Hui a Moth Carriage. How well do you know this person?" an Elder asked, turning toward Hou Xihan, who had only ascended to the Elder seat a few years prior.
"He is, without question, a heaven-defying genius. At such a young age, he had already grasped a specialized martial art and a secret art that far surpassed ordinary martial arts. I admired him greatly for it. At the ti, I genuinely could not see through his concealed strength. If Han Sanmian had already discovered Lin Hui's true power—could he have...?"
Hou Xihan's unfinished thought drew imdiate nods from the room. If Blood Heart Devouring was involved, it was a very real possibility.
"This person is connected to you. Hou Xihan, why not make a personal trip?" the aged voice said. "Capture him and bring him back."
"If he truly is connected to the murderer, then even though my strength far exceeds Han Sanmian's, I have no guarantee of success," Hou Xihan replied, with a slight shake of his head.
"For this mission, the First Elder of the Extre Desire Heaven will personally take the field and accompany you."
Ning Qianzhi?! Every person in the hall drew a sharp, involuntary breath.
His reputation cast a long shadow. Since the founding of Tuyue, the rare instances of Elder defections had all been personally handled—and personally executed—by Ning Qianzhi.
Legend held that his strength approached a Marshal's. Even the other seven Elders of the Extre Desire Heaven, attacking together, might not be his match. Over the millennia, the number of formidable enemies he had defeated and devoured was unknown, leaving his power as unfathomably deep as an ancient well.
"Then I have no objections," Hou Xihan said, nodding.
"Ning Qianzhi is the primary force. Your real responsibility is to observe and docunt his conduct once you reach Black Cloud," the aged voice cautioned. "Tuyue's recent movents have left
uneasy. Black Cloud is not like our Tuyue—those three who preside above it are each stronger than Tuyue herself. Furthermore, it sits on the front line against both the Hongyin Empire and the Mist God Sect, so you must exercise extraordinary caution. If you accidentally violate a taboo and are devoured by one of their Elders, there will be nothing we can do."
"Understood," Hou Xihan replied, expression turning grave as he nodded quickly.
"Beyond monitoring Ning Qianzhi, there is one more thing you must do," the aged voice added.
"Please instruct ," Hou Xihan said.
"Determine whether this Lin Hui is the genuine article or an imposter. If he is a fake, so be it. But if he truly reached this height on his own in just a few short years... find a way to uncover whatever secrets lie behind his rise. Do not let Ning Qianzhi kill him outright. Preserve his life and bring him back."
"Understood!"
…
anwhile, within the Extre Desire Heaven.
Ning Qianzhi knelt on one knee, head bowed in greeting before the white-clad woman seated upon a crystal throne.
"Mother, I am about to depart for Black Cloud. What are your instructions?"
Judging solely by appearance, Ning Qianzhi was exceptionally handso—a perfectly proportioned physique, cold and austere in bearing. He wore pristine white armor edged in gold, a long white cape trailing behind him. A colorful crystal set between his brows emitted a faint iridescent glow that played against his shoulder-length white hair.
The woman on the crystal throne, by contrast, looked like an ordinary farr. Her features were unremarkable, her complexion slightly dark, her proportions entirely average. Her hands bore the calloused roughness of soone accustod to field labor.
Yet seated on that throne, she inexplicably radiated an imnse, oppressive aura that blended seamlessly with her surroundings.
"I am about to return, and the incarnation of the Hongyin Marshal has already withdrawn. But I don't plan to go back to the city just yet. I'll rendezvous with you sowhere along the way to Black Cloud," she said, entirely at ease.
"You—you're coming along as well?!" Ning Qianzhi startled, unable to keep himself from glancing up at her.
"What? Can't I go? There are far too few interesting things left in this world. Most of it is nothing but aningless repetition. But this Lin Hui..." Tuyue smiled. "He's sowhat interesting."
She had lived for nearly ten thousand years and had seen almost everything the world had to offer, many tis over. Often, a single glimpse of one leaf was enough to deduce the entire tree. That was precisely why she held no interest in the vast majority of affairs.
But this ti, Han Sanmian's death had drawn her attention, and through it she had stumbled upon this curious little figure—Lin Hui. Judging by the anomalies surrounding him, the secrets he carried were likely far from trivial.
The prospect of unraveling a genuine mystery sent a ripple through Tuyue's long-stagnant state of mind. The death of a re Elder was nothing to her—even if the entire Extre Desire Heaven and the Taisu Primal Disk were to vanish, she would not bat an eye. But the sheer intrigue of this anomaly had given her a sudden urge to journey to Black Cloud and see the unknown for herself.
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